Chef Mengxin Zhou is the S.Pellegrino Award for Social Responsibility winner for the Iberian & Mediterranean Countries region.
Courtesy of Chef Mengxin Zhou
'Somiatruites' Tomato Salad with All Parts of a Trout
25 Sep 2020
Difficulty
Intermediate
Total Time
3H 40MIN
Ingredients
Tomatoes: 8 each of different varieties
Salt: to taste
Extra virgin olive oil: to taste
Trout: 1 kg
Salt: 200 g
Caster sugar: 150 g
Aromatic herbs: to taste
Ginger: 25 g
Trout: head and spines
Water
White onion: 1
Leeks: 1
Black pepper
Eggs: 1
Mild olive oil: 300 g
Lemon juice: of half a lemon
Broth: 500 g
Chives
Ice
Tomato salad
This is a very fresh, light, heathy, seasonal dish of trout and tomatoes that's ideal for summer. The recipe makes full use of both tomato and trout, including the head, skin, loins and roe, minimising food waste. The dish can also provide plenty of vitamins (A, C, K from tomato, B-12 from trout), with many minerals, calcium, magnesium and essential fatty acids. Chef Mengxin Zho blends influences from China and Catalonia, to create a very clean, fresh dish that makes the best of summer produce.
See below for her step-by-step recipe:
01.
For Somiatruites tomato salad
Cut the tomatoes into small, aesthetic pieces. Mix with the salt and the oil.
02.
For the semi-cured trout tartare
Add the salt, sugar, herbs and ginger, and mix well. With this mixture, cover a piece of trout for 3 hours.
03.
After curing the trout, clean it and cut it into very small pieces until it has a tartar texture, and store in the fridge.
04.
In a pot, put the bones and the head of the trout, a chopped onion, a leek, the black pepper and cover with water.
Cook over low heat for 25 minutes. Let infuse for 15 minutes, and strain.
05.
Save the head of the cooked trout, and the broth.
With the help of a small knife, remove the skin from the head of the trout, which has a jelly-like texture, and store in the refrigerator to be able to cut well.
Reduce the cooking broth until you get 300gr of a tasty and good broth.
06.
For the gazpachuelo of trout
Use a blender, make a mayonnaise with the egg, mild olive oil, juice of ½ lemon and a little salt. We need a thick texture.
07.
When the broth for cooking the trout heads and bones has a very good flavor, we let it go down to 50º, and we mix little by little with the mayonnaise, until we get a smooth cream.
And with this recipe, we will have used all the parts of the trout, and we will not throw any food in the trash.
08.
For the curly chives
Make a few cuts to the chives, to make long strips of chives, and put in water and ice for 3 minutes, to get the chives to curl.
09.
Plating
Put the 'gazpachuelo' in the center of the plate, put the tomatoes in a circle, and decorate with the different textures of trout, the tartar, the skin, the roe, etc.
10.
The final dish.
